Destination Tijuana

about Kay Larch

The summer of 1969, that of Woodstock, Neil Armstrong, John and Yoko, Janis Joplin, Charles Manson, Vietnam War Protests, Stonewall Riots, Jimi Hendrix… And the summer Kay Larch and her best friend took her little blue VW Bug for a morning drive down the coast of California, to their favorite shopping destination: Tijuana, Mexico. With Give Peace a Chance blaring on the radio as they crossed over the border, they were suddenly immersed in an explosion of color, a visual feast. Although Mexican Folk Art was a very common site in Kay’s hometown of Huntington Beach, California, she was always amazed by the concentrated abundance of those vibrant colors and exotic styles, as they were in the country of their origin. It took her breath away… And inspired the budding artist in her.

Coming of age in that particular era, in that particular place, was where Kay developed her own artistic style: A combination best described as part Mexican Folk Art, part California “Hippie” girl, and part her own imagination. Although she has since been influenced by many other exotic places, and has explored many other mediums, styles and subject matter, it’s her 1969 free spirit version of Mexican Folk Art that is always calling her back home.